This is kind of funny! In an event reminiscent of Julius Wechter's description of the song "Spanish Flea" being used at Hispanic awards ceremony...
On board USS Blue Ridge last week we celebrated "Hispanic Heritage Month." Every special interest group gets a month (except the European Americans, of course) and the military celebrates all (except gay history month because of the "don't ask don't tell" policy). Usually these celebrations are observed all month but have one "big day" where a special lunch is prepared and skits or performances grace the lunch hour.
So the coordinator for Hispanic Heritage had an audio track recorded in some sort of proprietary format that we could not convert in my media shop for use at the event. I told her I had in my collection of 15,000 tunes dozens and dozens of hispanic songs, both authentic and "imitation" or "pseudo-latin" music. She asked me to bring some in....
So I made two CDs of about 80 tunes so she could pick the one she wanted to use. I gave her a mix of authentic items ranging from the Gipsy Kings to Lucero and from every place in latin America from Brazil (B66, Jobim and Bossa Rio) to Cuba (Cabanisimo, Tito Puente and Desi Arnaz) and I included some classic "psuedo-latin" TJB and BMB tunes.
She ultimately picked Juarez by the BMB. I have to tell you it was quite a sight to see our Commanding Officer and the Seventh Fleet Chief of Staff doing a latin dance with some of the young hispanic ladies on board to a BMB tune! Julius Wechter was surely looking down from heaven with a smile on his face!
--Mr. Bill
On board USS Blue Ridge last week we celebrated "Hispanic Heritage Month." Every special interest group gets a month (except the European Americans, of course) and the military celebrates all (except gay history month because of the "don't ask don't tell" policy). Usually these celebrations are observed all month but have one "big day" where a special lunch is prepared and skits or performances grace the lunch hour.
So the coordinator for Hispanic Heritage had an audio track recorded in some sort of proprietary format that we could not convert in my media shop for use at the event. I told her I had in my collection of 15,000 tunes dozens and dozens of hispanic songs, both authentic and "imitation" or "pseudo-latin" music. She asked me to bring some in....
So I made two CDs of about 80 tunes so she could pick the one she wanted to use. I gave her a mix of authentic items ranging from the Gipsy Kings to Lucero and from every place in latin America from Brazil (B66, Jobim and Bossa Rio) to Cuba (Cabanisimo, Tito Puente and Desi Arnaz) and I included some classic "psuedo-latin" TJB and BMB tunes.
She ultimately picked Juarez by the BMB. I have to tell you it was quite a sight to see our Commanding Officer and the Seventh Fleet Chief of Staff doing a latin dance with some of the young hispanic ladies on board to a BMB tune! Julius Wechter was surely looking down from heaven with a smile on his face!
--Mr. Bill
